Waterproofing wool

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treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
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Powys
That sounds about par for the course. I ended up buying a 120ml jar of pure lanolin for £7 from a website called Pixie Knits. I haven't tried it yet but will do so this weekend following Toddy's instructions.

There were other things out there, including specialist lanolising mixtures which were cheaper £ for ml but maybe the pure stuff will last longer??
 

big_swede

Native
Sep 22, 2006
1,452
8
41
W Yorkshire
"Midget Drunks"??

Is that the Swedish term for children or do you start them on the booze early?

Seriously though, it's an apt term. I've always thought they stagger about like they have had a few.

What is the term in Swedish?

I stole it from Dylan Moran actually. But I find it very true. They talk like drunks, walk like drunks, have the feeling of responsibility as drunks, and the like the same food as drunks. :D

The swedish term would be 'fylledvärgar', just realised that if anybody would google that term they would end up here :eek:
 

treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
3
65
Powys
Dylan Moran is a comic genius!

Following Toddy's advice I managed to lanolise a tweed jacket and wool trousers without anything terrible happening to them in the process.
They have come out well, feeling slightly oily to the touch and the jacket wtood up well to the rain at the weekend.
I have a heavy tweed overcoat which I am reluctant to soak so am thinking of making a lanolin solution which I might spray or brush onto the fabric.
 

Boucaneer

Forager
Dec 2, 2012
209
5
London
I've just bought 250ml's of Imsevimse Wool Cure to dilute with hot water to make a solution to spray and rub into or apply by a paint brush to a Navy Greatcoat to improve is water resistance.

My main focus of concern shall be not to apply too concentrated solution of Linolin/water to cause a greasy overload within the fibres, so multi layers of thinner solutions shall be the way I shall go.

I know this is an ancient thread, but I found the reading very interesting.

Cheers,

Alex.
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,214
367
73
SE Wales
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106539

Any method other than that in #17 above has proved, for me, to be either inneffective or to just make a real mess to the point of making the garment useless. I've never got a spray to soak into the fabric at all, it just sits on the surface. You might have better results and it'd be great to read your experience of it, good or bad :)
 

Boucaneer

Forager
Dec 2, 2012
209
5
London
I shall test a section inside on exposed wool material first with a diluted solution and let you know how the spray/rub or brush technique works out.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106539

Any method other than that in #17 above has proved, for me, to be either inneffective or to just make a real mess to the point of making the garment useless. I've never got a spray to soak into the fabric at all, it just sits on the surface. You might have better results and it'd be great to read your experience of it, good or bad :)
 
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Boucaneer

Forager
Dec 2, 2012
209
5
London
Well after a long wait I decided to spray my wool Royal Navy Greatcoat and Hat with a Lanolin liquid solution.

I used Disana Lanolin Conditioner, 2 tea spoons in a litre of lukewarm water. I used a Birchmeier 1.25 litre Superstar pressurised spray bottle.

I hung the Greatcoat up on a door frame and put a large flexable bucket underneath.

I started at the shoulders and worked downwards, front and back, collar and arms several times.

The solution did stay on the surface at first on the coat, then soaked into the fibres after a little time and with more application of lanolin fluid, the excess dripped into the bucket.

It was then I remembered reading that it was best to apply Lanolin solution to a damp garment for better absorbsion so I left for a while, and emptied the excess collected in the bucket and refilled my sprayer bottle and recoated the Greatcoat again.

I mixed up another half litre of Lanolin solution and recoated again an hour later, then again collected the excess dripped into the bucket and refilled gun and resprayed again.

So in all 4 refilled bottles and 12 thorough coatings, but six were recycled solutions from the bucket.

I didn't use a brush to rub the solution in although that might be a good idea. I just sprayed and let soak in by atmospheric air pressure and capillary action.

It took some time and several ( twelve ) coating till I was happy with the amount of lanolin solution absorbed into the coat. I'm still waiting to dry and will give a report once inspected and tested.

Cheers.
 
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R.Lewis

Full Member
Aug 23, 2009
1,098
20
Cambs
I have used the method Toddy described to proof a cloak and a Birrus Britannicus cloak to great effect. Also worked really well on old school Swedish army coat.

Got my lanolin on EBay for a good price.
 

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